Why The Brick-And-Mortar Shopping Experience Is Still Important

Mystery shopping is commonly associated with the retail sector and in recent years, there has been a huge emphasis on online mystery shopping. As more and more stores start selling their products via online platforms, many are focusing on ensuring they have a good online presence. Whilst there is no denying that this is important in this digital day and age, your physical presence on the high street remains to be equally as important.

The brick-and-mortar shopping experience is still paramount to your ongoing success and providing a positive experience in-store can have a significant impact on both your bottom line and your reputation. Ultimately, if you no longer focus time and attention on your in-person shopping experience, there is an increased chance that you will;

Lose customers to your competitors

Although there is no denying that online shopping is very popular nowadays, lots of people will still visit brick-and-mortar stores. Many like to see products in person, especially if they are expensive, and they will prefer to make their purchase in-store.

No matter what type of retail store you own, it’s essential to ensure you’re providing all customers with a positive in-store shopping experience. If you’re giving off the wrong first impression, you risk losing prospective customers to your competitors and retail mystery shopping can help you to attract and drive more footfall into your store. Not only can face-to-face mystery shopping give you an insight into the shopping experience you provide, but competitor shops can help you to understand what sets you apart from other local stores. You can then ensure you’re improving your store to make it that little bit more competitive.

Discourage repeat shoppers

Like the majority of other businesses, retail stores rely on repeat shoppers and having loyal customers will aid your success. In order to turn first-time shoppers into repeat customers, it’s key to make sure you’re providing an excellent shopping experience the first time around.

It won’t take long for a customer to decide whether they’re going to stick with your brand and you need to ensure you’re not giving them any reason not to return to your retail store. A retail mystery shopper can help you to deliver the best possible experience for your customers and the feedback they provide about their first-hand shopping experience in store will help you to instil brand loyalty. Using retail mystery shoppers can also help you to remain relevant and robust in a competitive environment too, and you can ensure you’re not losing the repeat customers that you rely on to other retailers.

Tarnish your reputation

In the same way your customers will tell their family and friends about the quality of the products you sell, they will tell others about the shopping experience they had in your store. This word-of-mouth marketing can either make or break your brand.

To ensure that not only do customers return to your brick-and-mortar store time and time again, but they also encourage their family and friends to shop with you, you need to provide an exceptional shopping experience from start to finish. Knowledge really is power and working with a retail mystery shopper will enable you to truly understand the experience you provide in real-time. Video mystery shopping can be particularly useful in the retail sector and this allows you to see for yourself what aspects of your shopping experience are letting you down. You can then make sure you’re protecting your reputation by making any required changes.

Working with a retail mystery shopper

If you’re interested in sending a retail mystery shopper into your store to help you understand your customer journey, contact our expert team at Proinsight today. We know from working with well-known high-street brands like H Samuel, Carpetright and Ernest Jones that delivering an outstanding shopping experience is still key and we can help you to ensure you’re providing the in-store experience that customers expect.

As one of the best mystery shopping companies in the UK, not only do we offer a comprehensive portfolio of mystery shopping services, but we know what to do with the results of mystery shops to boost business growth. Our end-to-end experiential feedback process is proven to deliver results and our retail mystery shoppers are chosen for their commitment and capabilities, so we can assure you that you will be in the best hands when you turn to us.